Clothes-line holder.



No. 785,694. PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905.

J. F. MICHEL.

CLOTHES LINE HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. zs, 1904.

Patented March 21, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. MICHEL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TO HARRY U. GANSTER, OF PITTSBURG,-PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOTHES-LINE HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 785,694, dated March 21, 1905.

Application filed September 28, 1904. Serial No. 226,328.

To (all 1071/0111, it 11111, concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. MIoIIEL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Holders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. v

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in clothes-line holders and fasteners; and the object of this invention is to provide a novel form of clothesline fastener to which the end of a clothesline may be firmly secured, the same fastener being adapted to support and hold a clothesline.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothes-line fastener and holder which will be extremely simple in construction, strong and durable, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Briefly described, my improved clothes-line holder comprises two castings, the one casting being of a substantially triangular shape with a right-angular slotted extension, having upwardly extending integral prongs. The other casting is constructed similar to one of the prongs carried by the first casting, and when the fastener is in position to be used the second casting is placed within the slotted extension of the first casting. The clothes-line rope to be held in the fastener has its loose end wrapped around the prongs, whereby the casting mounted within the slot of the first casting will bind against the line or rope and cause the line or rope to be firmly held when the same is drawn taut.

The simplicity of the construction employed in connection with my improved clothes-line fastener and the merits of the same will be apparent from the following description and as the invention is more fully understood.

Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved clothes-lines holder and fastener, illustrating the same as being secured to a piece line secured therein. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same detached from its support. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the clothesline holder. Fig. L is a bottom plan view of the same, and Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation view of one of the castings comprising my improved clothes-line holder.

To enable those not conversant with the general construction of my improved fastener, I have designated the similar parts throughout the several views by like numeral of reference, and while I have herein illustrated in the accompanying drawings the preferred form of construction it is obvious that the same is susceptible to numerous changes, as will be hereinafter apparent.

The clothes-line fastener and holder as contemplated by me consists of two castings, and the reference-numeral 1 designates the main casting, which is of a substantially triangular form, and the body portion of this casting is provided with tapering apertures 2, through which screws 3 are adapted to pass when securing the casting to a suitable support, which in Fig. 1 of the drawings is represented as a piece of wood. hen forming the casting, the body portion is provided with a right-angular extension 4, and formed integral with the corners of this extension are the upwardlyextending prongs or posts 5 and 7. The shank portions of these prongs or posts are concave, as designated by the reference-numeral 6, and the top of each post or prong tapers, as designated by the reference-numeral 7.

The body portion of the clothes-line holder and fastener and the right-angular extension are provided with communicating slots 8 and 9, the slot 9 being formed in the body portion of the holder, while the slot 8 is formed in the right-angular extension.

Reference will now be had to Fig. 5 of the drawings, wherein I have illustrated another casting which is employed in connection with the casting just described. This casting is designated by the reference-numeral 10, and the upper end of said casting is formed similarly to one of the prongs or posts 5 previously described. The lower end of this castof wood and having a portion of the clothesing is provided with a contracted portion 11 and a tapering end 12. Intermediate the contracted portion 11 and the tapering end 12 is formed an annular shoulder 14, the object of which will be hereinafter more fully described. In Figs. 2 to L, inclusive, 1 have illustrated the position of the casting 10 within the casting 1, and by observing Fig. 3 it will be seen that the contracted portion 11 of the casting 10 is adapted to rest within the slot 8 of the right-angular extension 4 and that the shoulder 15, formed at the base of the prong or post of said casting, will rest upon the upper I edges of the slot 8 of said extension.

When the casting 1 is secured to a suitable support, such as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the casting 10 is held or locked within the casting 1, said casting 10 having been previously placed within the slot 8 of the angular extension 4, and the shoulders 14 and 15 will prevent the casting 10 from being withdrawn from the casting 1.

The manner of securinga clothes line or rope upon the fastener is as follows: I have so constructed the fastener that it will not be necessary to tie the end of the rope to said fastener nor to form any kind of a knot which could not be quickly untied, and while there are different ways of securing the end of a rope within the fastener whereby the rope will bind therein I will only describe one way in which I preferably secure the same. The reference-numeral 16 designates the loose end of a clothes line or rope which is carried between the prong 5 and the casting 10, around the prong 7, and then wrapped around the casting 10, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. By so twisting the rope around the prongs and drawing upon the rope the casting 10 is moved into as close an engagement with the prongs 5 and 7 as will be permissible by the rope passing between the same, and as the rope is drawn taut the casting 10 will bind against the rope which lies between said casting and the prongs or posts 5 and 7 and will firmly hold the end of the rope within the clothes-line holder. Not only will the casting 10 bind the rope, but the rope itself in repeatedly passing over itself will be held by the contacting faces of the rope when the same is drawn taut. Where it is only desired to support the rope upon the fastener, the rope is simply carried over the stationary prongs 5 and 7, and the opposite end of the rope may be secured in a similar manner to that illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be seen that the rope may be twisted in and out and around the prongs in different ways, whereby the loose and movable casting 10 may be made to bind the rope in its different forms upon the casting 1. It will also be observed that it is an extremely-simple operation to remove the end of the rope, this being accomplished by simply giving the rope sufficient slack to permit the casting 10 to recede to its normal position within the slot, at which time the rope can be thrown over the prongs and withdrawn therefrom.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a clothes-line holder, the combination of a bracket comprising a vertical body portion having apertures for the reception of screws, and a horizontal ledge portion, said ledge portion and said body portion being formed with a slot, and the said slot being widened in the said body portion, integral posts arranged at the sides of the slot in said ledge portion, and a casting having a contracted lower end adapted to enter the slot in the ledge portion, and an annular shoulder adapted to pass through the widened slot in the said vertical portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. MICHEL.

Witnesses:

H. (J. EVERT, E. E. POTTER. 

